TW: violence.

                                                                                          

 

 

The young man was sitting under the shade of that tree. The open book in his hands took up all his attention. It was springtime. That's why there were so many people in that park.

He snorted, anger showing on his face. That park was his favorite; since he had moved to Japan, he had visited there, but unfortunately, there was one tree there. A cherry tree.

That was the tree he was leaning in. Every spring, as usual, that tree turned pink, but he didn't know why they were so fixated on that tree.

His name is Lee Jinki, a recent graduate in nursing. And he was a nurse in one of Kyoto's hospitals.

He liked his city, that place was calm, there were some parks, small stores — although there was a shopping center too —, there was also something horrible: the many cherry trees in the place. When he moved to Kyoto, he didn't know about cherry trees. He didn't hate them, but he hated the fuss they made.

He didn't understand why people loved those pink petaled trees so much.

His reading was interrupted by a small, delicate flower falling into his book. The man seriously thought about throwing the flower to the ground, but it looked so fragile that he did nothing. He just left it there, resting in his book.

"It's so beautiful," Jinki heard a low voice say and startled, looking away. Soon, a pink-haired being with white skin and brown eyes made himself present. He was a rather handsome man. His hair was almost lighter than the little flower in his book, he had a cute accent, and his face was a bit rounded, although he didn't look overweight.

He was sitting in one of the corners of the tree, but he could see Jinki, and Jinki could see him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," the handsome man said shyly. His voice was soft - it was gentle.

"Don't apologize," Jinki said softly, making the other blush.

He laughed softly, a sonorous, amused, but shy laugh. "ItA flower like that would rarely during bloom, You are lucky," The pink-haired man said.

"You seem to know a lot about it," Jinki replied. A slight itch reached his chest, a tingle he hadn't felt in years.

"Not really, I just heard about it," that man replied with a smile, making Jinki swallow dryly. "I didn't even ask your name, sorry."

"Oh, my name is Jinki. Lee Jinki," Lee said, and the other man stood up and sat down next to Jinki.

"Are you Korean?" The other man asked in Korean, and Jinki nodded. "Wow, I am too! My name is Kim Jonghyun," he said in Korean, and Jinki laughed.

"What brings you here? I mean, it's not common for people to leave their home countries for nothing," Jinki told him.

"I'm studying photography here. I arrived in this city recently," Jonghyun said. "What about you?"

"I've lived here since I was fifteen. My dad got a good job offer back then, so we moved here," Jinki replied.

"I'm so jealous!" Jonghyun said, and they both laughed; he had to admit, the other man was cute. That man had broad shoulders, but he could notice the thin waist, his arms were muscular, and he looked younger than Jinki. He was wearing a white shirt and faded jeans.

Jinki could not explain the feeling he felt talking to this boy.

 

                                                                

 

As the days went by, he and Jonghyun started meeting daily in the same place, under the same tree. His days were not complete without meeting Jonghyun. The boy had become a part of his life. It brought them to this moment: they had changed location.

It was not so far from the park. They could still see that tree from there; this was a café, an ordinary café, there were not so many people there, but it was comfortable enough for both of them.

The younger man looked intently at the menu, while Jinki looked at him, Jinki had already placed his order. However, Jonghyun seemed to be undecided.

"Hm... Hyung, what do you think?" He asked — shyly — as he looked at the menu.

"Strawberry milkshake and lemon pie?" The elder suggested, receiving an expressive look from Jonghyun.

"I've never tried that..." He said. "Thanks, hyung, I'll order!" Jonghyun replied with a smile and called out to the young waiter. Then placed his order with a soft tone. 

When he finished his order, the small man looked at Jinki with a beautiful smile. "Hyung, tell me. Do you have a girlfriend?" He asked. Jonghyun seemed to be very curious, but Jinki denied it with a soft movement of his head.

"Well, I've had a few before. I think it was three, but it was never anything too serious," the black-haired man replied. "What about you?"

"I got out of a relationship recently."

"Oh, I'm sorry." The man said.

"Don't say that. We were very peaceful with each other," Jonghyun replied, his smile never fading. It was adorable.

"I will ask you a question. You don't have to answer."

"What is it?"

"Why were you in the park that day?" He asked, and there was a silence at the table, which the waiter broke as he delivered Jinki's order. This one consists of a cup of coffee and some cookies. "Thank you," he said to the waiter and then looked away from him to Jonghyun. "I told you I wouldn't force you to answer," the older man said softly. His slender fingers touched one of the cookies. Soon it was inside the nurse's mouth.

"No, I ... I was just melancholy, that's all," the pink-haired one replied, a faint smile appearing on the oblivious lips. "I just wanted a little peace, though. There were a lot of people there."

"Peace?"

"Yes. I was depressed." He replied as his fork sank into the pie.

"Oh. I get it." Jinki said. "I don't want to be too intrusive, but why were you depressed?" The elder asked.

"Hm... I can get sad over silly things; or even over nothing. I don't even remember the reason. I think it was because of university..." Jonghyun replied. Jonghyun's slender, pale fingers touched the table. "Don't worry, Jinki-hyung, I was fine."

Jinki became a little calmer. For some unknown reason, Jinki was worried about Jonghyun.

Without realizing it, his heart fluttered. They stayed together until they finished eating.

 

                                                                

 

Then they decided to go to the park. The men walked together until night fell.

They watched as, little by little, darkness dominated the sky. The sunset and Jonghyun invited Jinki to his apartment.

That city was not so dangerous, so they went there without any worries - even if it was dark.

When they arrived at the building, they saw a man sitting on the curb.

He was a considerably tall man - he was taller than Jinki, the Korean man was sure - his hair was blond, he seemed to be a foreigner.

Jonghyun froze in that place. Jinki looked at him, not realizing that the man looked at Jonghyun.

Suddenly, he heard heavy footsteps. The smell of alcohol hovered in his nostrils: that man was drunk. Jonghyun panicked.

The pink-haired one ran. Jonghyun ran as if his life depended on it. And, in a way, it did.

Jinki was startled. He didn't even notice when the unknown man started running after Jonghyun.

He was stunned. The cold breeze embraced him; it woke him up from his trance. However, no matter how fast he ran, Jinki could not catch up.

Jinki gave up - hesitantly -, and returned to his apartment. He felt his heart heavy.

 

                                                                

 

In the morning, Jinki went to the hospital.

It was rare that he arrived there so early, but — apparently — this was an emergency.

Lee sent a quick message to Jonghyun, telling him that they couldn't meet that day, as he would be busy. Soon, he got ready to go to work.

However, when he arrived at the patient's room, Jinki was surprised. Or rather, he was startled.

That was Jonghyun.

It was as if his world collapsed.

It was Jonghyun. He was there, with a respirator on his almost deformed face.

Jinki's eyes widened. His body began to tremble with worry. He stepped closer to Jonghyun; Jinki's hand touched the man's hand. 

Jonghyun's fingernails were soapy with blood. It looked as if someone pulled them off.

His heartfelt heavy. If he had insisted on looking for Jonghyun, this would not have happened. He tried to breathe, but it was as if the air wasn't getting into his lungs.

Jinki knew he was panicking.

"Jinki? Jinki?" The man looked away, his tearful eyes blurred his vision, but he was sure of what he saw: it was Taemin, one of the hospital nurses. "Do you know him?"

Taemin was young, but he was intelligent.

"Yes, he... He's a friend of mine." Jinki said, his voice was a little whiny.

"You shouldn't be here... I'm going to ask them to take you off this case." Jinki's eyes widened; he looked desperate.

"No, I want to stay! I-" Jinki was interrupted.

"Jinki, you're not well. You can't take care of him. Besides, you know the rules. We can't take care of our hospitalized friends or family members here." Taemin stated; he reached over, touching Jinki's shoulder. "If you're going to stay here, take off your uniform." The younger man ordered.

Jinki let go of Jonghyun's hand, And Taemin approached the pink-haired man. He mumbled something that Jinki didn't understand.

"Taemin, what happened to him?" Taemin was silent. The man looked at him, sighing.

"He was found in an alley, unconscious. A beggar found him and asked a shop owner to call emergency." Taemin began to speak. Jinki despaired even more. "Someone stabbed him several times - it was deep wounds with irregularities - but he still had a pulse. Recently, he was getting blood. Surprisingly, he's still alive."

"Did they find who did this to him?" Jinki asked, almost crying.

"Yes," Taemin replied. The older man sighed - he was still a little worried. "Jinki, you don't have to worry. He's in good hands," Taemin told him. "Now get out of here, go get changed. I'll go talk to the hospital director." The man said and left.

"I'm going back," Jinki said while looking at Jonghyun. He left the hospital room.

But he came right back. He was too worried to stay away. However, when he returned, Jonghyun was awake.

The pink-haired man looked stunned. When he saw Jinki, he was startled. Jonghyun looked — quite embarrassed —, and he tried to hide under the hospital blanket. However, he felt an unbearable pain in his abdomen, which made him groan in pain.

The elder quickly approached Jonghyun. Jonghyun looked at him; he looked scared.

"Jonghyun, don't make such sudden movements like that. It will hurt you even more!" Jinki said; he was worried sick about Jonghyun. He touched the man's back, supporting him.

The younger man still looked a little stunned.

"Jinki-hyung." He stammered. 

Jonghyun was shaking as he looked everywhere. It looked like he was frightened.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine," Jinki answered him. But the man continued to tremble. "No one can hurt you here; I am here." The man said. He wanted to hug Jonghyun, but, with the injury, he would hurt the younger man.

"H-hyung-" He stammered, his body shaking.

"Calm down," Jinki asked; his voice was soft and gentle. "Do you want to eat something? I can buy it for you!" He said, but Jonghyun shook his head in denial.

"I want to go home, hyung. I'm scared."

"Don't worry; I'll ask when they'll let you go home. But, Jonghyun, don't try too hard." Jinki asked, his hand caressing Jonghyun's hand gently.

"I want to go to my house now!" Jonghyun shouted. The man tried to stand up, and the venipuncture was violently pulled out of his arm, causing blood to gush out of his arm. Jonghyun screamed; the pain in his arm was excruciating.

Jinki ran to the door of the hospital room. The older man shouted, calling for the nurses.

He began to feel dizzy. His vision was getting blurred; Jonghyun's screams of agony were too loud.

Soon, two men and a woman dressed in hospital uniforms appeared. They looked hurried; Jinki was against the wall, paralyzed.

The two men held Jonghyun's arms. The woman asked Jinki to leave the room, something he obeyed without hesitation.

He felt as if he was short of breath; seeing Jonghyun like that indescribably disturbed him.

Jinki was stunned; he had always seen Jonghyun as a calm person - just like him. He could not even imagine that his friend could act like that.

Those actions of Jonghyun did not hurt only his body. But also Jinki. 

He didn't know if the pain was mental, nor if it was physical. But it hurts.

Jinki looked at the door to Jonghyun's hospital room. A stretcher was sliding out of the room; on it lay Jonghyun. The photography student was writhing around. The male nurses held his arms, preventing him from moving.

Jinki's eyes widened; he knew that the other didn't want to hurt anyone. But he was treated as someone extremely dangerous.

It was unfair.

 

                                                                

 

A week passed as if in a blink of an eye. In that time, Jinki stayed by Jonghyun's side. The hospital's director brought his vacation forward so that the man could take care of his friend.

Only Jinki was by Jonghyun's side. Only he was there. No family, no friends. Just Jinki.

Even so, Jonghyun didn't ask for anyone. The boy was more than tired — he couldn't even say a whole sentence.

He didn't ask about his mother, nor did he ask about his father. Jonghyun stayed there. Quiet.

Jinki's heart ached because of that. No one seemed to care about him. They acted as if he didn't exist. It must have been painful.

Jonghyun would tell him to "don't worry," but Jinki was stubborn. Very stubborn. He tried calling Jonghyun's parents, but no one was answering.

That was sad.

After a week, Jonghyun was ready to go back home. He seemed well enough to take care of the wounds on his own.

"Jonghyun, stay at my place," Jinki offered. At that moment, Jonghyun was packing up to go to his apartment. 

But he didn't feel safe.

"Hyung, I don't want to bother you. You've already done a lot for me," Jonghyun told him calmly.

"Jonghyun, you know you won't bother me." The elder replied softly. He approached Jonghyun and helped him put the last shirts and pants in his backpack.

When finished, Jonghyun quickly closed the backpack and tried to put it on his back. But Jonghyun was stopped by Jinki.

In the meantime, the two were silent, but Jinki broke the silence, "You'd better come to my place. You'll be safe there! Besides, I can take care of your injuries." The man offered. The younger man looked at him and blushed — though Jinki didn't notice.

"I-"

"Please, Jonghyun," he requested. Jinki took Jonghyun's hand and it, "Let me take care of you."

 

                                                                

 

Jonghyun's lips twitched as he walked through the door of Jinki's apartment. It was nice.

It was a light shade of gray walls. A white curtain covered the window, preventing much light from entering the small apartment.

There was a division between the living room, the hallway, and the kitchen. It looked large. There was a gray sofa, a glass coffee table, and a Smart TV. The living room had two shelves full of books and objects.

There were two black egg chairs with some white details. 

There were also a few abstract art paintings. They, in a way, gave color to the monochromatic apartment.

Some plants, healthy ones, were in ceramic pots. They made the room more beautiful.

The younger man looked at Lee. As if asking for someone else's permission.

"I'll show you my room," Jinki told him.

"But, hyung, where will you sleep?" He questioned; Jinki laughed.

"Don't worry about me. Your recovery is more important," Jinki answered him. Jonghyun looked at him with his sharp, glowing eyes.

"Hyung, I don't want you to sleep on the couch, or worse, on the floor! If necessary, I'll sleep on the couch myself until this heals," The younger man told him. He was being honest; until now, he never cared for himself.

"Jonghyun-"

"I'm serious, Jinki," his gaze seemed to become even sharper. Jonghyun rarely called Jinki by name. Since they had met, he had started calling Jinki "hyung."

Jinki shuddered, "that's right. But I will not allow you to sleep on the couch!" He said and shut up; he was thinking of a solution.

Jonghyun was still looking at him; it seemed like he was looking at his favorite person - even if Jinki didn't see the love and affection in that gaze.

After a long silence, Jinki set to speak, "I found a solution!" The man said. He looked into Jonghyun's eyes and smiled - Jonghyun almost melted with that smile.

"We're going to share my bed! I mean..."

"The bed isn't big, but two people can sleep in it easily," Jinki told the man. His lips were curved, and the pink-haired one was blushing.

"Hyung!" He called out in desperation. His eyes were wide open, and his cheeks turned pink.

"What is it? There's nothing wrong with that," the elder told him.

Jinki was innocent.

"N-no, it's nothing!" Jonghyun said.

"Are you running a fever?" Jinki asked, placing the back of his left hand on Jonghyun's forehead. It wasn't hot.

"I'm fine, hyung," Jonghyun told him in a soft tone. "But my bruises are hurting a little..." The pink-haired one lied, causing Jinki to become extremely worried.

 

                                                                

 

Jonghyun groaned when the alcohol-soaked cotton touched one of his cuts.

Jinki was cleaning the wounds because he was afraid that the cuts might become infected. The pink-haired one felt sorry for lying to Jinki.

"I'm sorry," Jinki said, and Jonghyun nodded. The older man threw the cotton - which was bloody - on the floor. He picked up the bottle of alcohol and another piece of cotton; Lee wet the cotton and went back over the younger man's other cuts.

Jonghyun closed his eyes and bit his lips to keep from screaming.

It was a slow and painful process for Jonghyun, but he didn't complain. He couldn't complain; after all, he was suffering the consequences of his actions.

Jinki threw another cotton on the floor and looked at Kim.

Jonghyun sighed, "hyung, are you done yet?" he asked with a whiny voice. However, Jinki denied it with his head.

"There's only a little left, but it'll be over soon," he said gently to the other.

"Hyung, can't you do it later?"

"If I do it later, it will hurt just the same, Jonghyun. It's better to do it all at once," Jinki answered him; soon, he did the same procedure as before.

Jonghyun clenched his fists tightly, making his fingernails - which were already a bit long - hurt. He was in a lot of pain.

Hot tears welled up in his eyes. Jinki stopped his movements.

"I'm done sanitizing," the older man told him. "Now, I need to put the bandages on, okay?" Jinki spoke softly. Jonghyun felt a chill run down his spine.

He had already been through the worst part, but the bandages were hot and made his wounds hurt. Even though he was afraid, he nodded. Next time, he would think twice before lying.

Jinki stood up in a calm motion, but to Jonghyun, Lee seemed a bit sadistic.

"Jonghyun, I'll get the emergency kit. Wait for me here," Jinki ordered. His tone of voice was gentle and calm.

"And do I have somewhere to run, hyung?" The younger man answered him with a smile on his face. Jinki snorted.

"But you could make some sudden movement... I'm afraid the injuries will reopen again."

"I know, hyung. Don't worry," the younger man said.

Jinki laughed, "right." The man disappeared into the apartment quickly. But soon, he was back in the living room. Jinki put the small white box on the couch and opened it.

Jonghyun swallowed dryly. His skin was sensitive, so he knew it would hurt.

 

                                                                

 

After changing the bandages, Jinki ordered Jonghyun to rest. That was what the younger man was doing - even if against his will.

He was lying on Jinki's bed. It was not a little bed, but not a big one. He was afraid to move around too much because he knew he would feel pain.

When Jonghyun closed his eyes, he began to cry silently. The student brought his trembling hands to his eyes. Jonghyun's hands were wet by warm tears. Jonghyun sobbed.

He tried to look like everything was fine, but he wanted to die. Jonghyun didn't want to be here. The young man would rather die than the insecure life he had.

Jonghyun tried to dry his tears, but they wouldn't stop.

He heard the door opening; Jinki ran up to him.

"Jonghyun, is something wrong?" The elder asked. He was worried.

"No, hyung, I'm fine. It's nothing," the younger one dared to try to smile. But soon, Jonghyun started to cry again. It was a disturbing scene. He was smiling - although his lips were trembling - but he was crying.

Lee approached him slowly as if he was afraid of scaring him. His long fingers touched Jonghyun's tear-stained cheeks. He sat up in his bed, his fingers gently wiping away the tears. And Jinki continued to wipe the man's tears away, even as they fell again.

"Don't cry, Jonghyun," Jinki ordered.

"I can't stop, Jinki-san," the younger man said. His hot tears made his eyes burn. It hurt.

"Can't you try?" Jinki asked. He acted on his instincts and wrapped Jonghyun in his arms.

And they stayed like that. Jonghyun cried - with his head tucked into Jinki's chest - until he could sleep. Jinki remained there, in the same place.

                                                                

 

When Jonghyun woke up, he wasn't in Jinki's arms. He was lying on the mattress, but there was a weight beside him.

He looked over and saw Jinki. The elder was lying next to him, sleeping peacefully.

Kim sat up in bed and kept looking at Jinki. He never had many friends, let alone one who had the patience to take care of him.

He was lucky to have Jinki. Even though they didn't know each other that well, Lee insisted on taking care of Jonghyun.

Jonghyun snuggled into bed again; he was not sleepy. His cuts were a little sore, so he changed position. A hearty groan left his lips.

It didn't matter how much it hurt; if Jinki was by his side, he knew he would be okay.

Maybe he should blame his stupid heart.

After all, it was that stupid heart's fault that he was that way, and it was also his fault that he was falling in love with Jinki.

Jonghyun pulled up the blanket, which was at the foot of the bed, and covered Jinki's body and his own. It was a painful movement, but he didn't mind.

In the morning, he woke up with a weight on his body. He stirred a little and saw a thick blanket covering his body. It was warmer than the other one.

Jonghyun moved his head, noticing that Jinki was not sharing the bed with him.

"Jinki?" He called out; his voice was sleepy. "Jinki?" The man called out again.

In a sudden movement, he sat up in bed. The pink-haired one groaned in pain. He had the impression that his cuts had opened.

Jonghyun hugged his belly. Tears rose in his eyes. 

"HYUNG!" With what strength he had left, he screamed. Slowly, his vision became blurrier.

A few moments later, he lost consciousness.

Jinki was in the kitchen when he heard Jonghyun's scream. He turned off the stove and ran to his room. There was despair running through his body. 

He opened the dark wooden door to his room in a hurry. Then, Jinki found Jonghyun.

The student was unconscious on his bed. From his position, he tried to sit up but collapsed.

The elder, who was desperate, ran to him. Carefully, he laid Jonghyun down comfortably. Then, he threw the blanket away. Jinki pulled Jonghyun's shirt up to the man's s.

What he saw was a bloody mess.

The bandages were bloody, which meant that the wounds had opened up.

Jinki could feel Jonghyun's pain. And it was horrible. Quickly, he started looking for the emergency kit.

Although Jinki couldn't close the wounds, he could stop the bleeding. The box was where he always left it; he quickly picked it up and guided himself to Jonghyun's body.

It would be difficult, but he would do it.

                                                                

After almost an hour, Jinki saw Jonghyun wake up. The man looked confused. But soon, his expression changed to one of pain.

"Jinki-kun," Jonghyun's voice sounded weak. His heart ached.

"Shh, calm down, I'm here," Jinki told him. He took the younger man's hand. With his thumb, he the torso of Jonghyun's hand to try to calm him down.

"Hyung, I couldn't find you," the younger one whined. He was afraid that he couldn't find Jinki. Jonghyun could only feel pain.

"But I'm here. Don't try too hard, Jonghyun," he advised.

Warm tears appeared in Jonghyun's eyes. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble," he said. "If I didn't know you, you would be fine. You wouldn't be taking care of trash like me," the man told him. He sniffled softly.

"No, no! Don't say that, Jonghyun!" The older man exclaimed.

"I've only brought trouble for you, hyung. I'm sorry," the man said. His voice was weak. It seemed as if it would fade away.

"Jonghyun, nothing is your fault!" Jinki told him. Jonghyun sobbed.

"It's my fault, yes!" Jonghyun's tears began to fall. Desperate sobs were coming out of Jonghyun's lips. "It's all my fault. I'm sorry, hyung."

"JONGHYUN, NONE OF THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" Jinki shouted. "SOMEONE DID THIS TO YOU, BUT YOU DIDN'T HURT ANYONE," he screamed again. Jonghyun's crying became more intense.

And then Jinki noticed what he did. "No, don't cry, Jonghyun. Please," he ordered, the man's hair. The pink tone of his hair was fading, thus bringing out a lighter shade.

As the pink faded, so did Jonghyun's will to live.

He tried to dry the man's tears, but they kept falling.

Jonghyun was destroyed, broken.

Jinki took Jonghyun's hands; he kissed them.

"I'm here, don't worry about these silly things," Jinki said. "Now sleep, rest," he ordered, kissing Jonghyun's forehead.

Jonghyun said nothing. Neither refused nor accepted.

He still felt guilty.

 

                                                                

 

"Jonghyun, eat," Jinki ordered. He brought the soup spoon closer to Jonghyun's mouth, but the younger man turned his face away. "Jonghyun," he sighed, "you'll get even weaker if you keep this up."

"I don't even want to live. That would only speed up the process," the younger man said, slightly sulking.

"Jonghyun-san, please," Lee asked gently. "If you eat, just a little bit, I'll take you to see that cherry tree, okay? You like it, don't you?"

Jonghyun looked into Jinki's eyes. Soon, he turned his head, frowning.

Jinki sighed, "I know you're depressed. But I can't help you if you don't tell me what happened!" Suddenly, Jinki saw Jonghyun's shoulders shaking. He knew that the other was crying.

The elder was startled. He quickly touched Jonghyun's arm. "Jong, what happened? Why are you crying?" Jinki questioned gently.

"I'm sorry," Jonghyun told him. The man was sobbing violently.

"Jonghyun, why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong!"

"It's my fault. If I didn't show up in your life, you wouldn't have to take care of me."

Jinki sighed with exhaustion. He hated the way Jonghyun talked that kind of thing. The younger man blamed himself for everything.

"Don't talk nonsense," the elder said. Jonghyun swallowed dryly.

"Hyung, I'm gay," the man closed his eyes tightly; he was afraid of Jinki's reaction. A painful sob left his lips.

On the other hand, Jinki was surprised. He hadn't expected to receive such information so suddenly.

"I-I-" Jinki sighed, "I don't know what to say. I'm sorry."

Jonghyun tried to dry his tears, "hyung, the only one wrong here is me. You shouldn't apologize."

Jinki snorted, "Jonghyun! What do you mean by that? You think you're the one who's wrong because of your uality?!"

Jonghyun lowered his head, "No, that's not why," he said.

"Then why?"

"Because — the person who did that to me — was my ex-boyfriend."

Jinki widened his eyes. He had never thought of that hypothesis. How could Jonghyun love someone who could do that to him?!

Jinki's thoughts stopped when he looked at Jonghyun's face. The younger man looked downcast, almost dead. He no longer looked like the smiling person he had known.

Jinki placed the bowl of soup and the spoon on the floor. Quickly, Lee wrapped Jonghyun in his arms.

It was a warm hug. Jinki wanted to pass all his warmth to Jonghyun, even if it hurt the man.

He allowed the man to cry on his shoulder. His salty tears wet Jinki's shirt, but the older man didn't bother.

Maybe, it was becoming a habit. Jonghyun cries while Jinki tries to calm him down.

"Jonghyun, I think you need a therapist," Jinki told him.

 

                                                                

 

In the morning, Jinki left his apartment. That day he went to a private clinic to make a therapy appointment for Jonghyun.

When he returned to his apartment, he found Jonghyun on the sofa. He was in the fetal position.

In that position, the little man was feeling pain. But he seemed to feel more comforted that way.

"Jonghyun?" He called out hesitantly. But Jonghyun didn't answer him; the older man let a heavy sigh leave his lips.

Jinki walked over to Jonghyun. Soon, he sat down next to the younger man.

Kim let his head fall onto Jinki's shoulder and closed his eyes. Jonghyun changed his position to be more comfortable - because he knew that Jinki would fight with him.

"What happened? You look depressed!" Jonghyun looked into the elder's eyes.

"My uncle is coming here. He asked for your number at the hospital and found out where we are," Jonghyun said.

Last night, Jonghyun told Jinki everything. Jonghyun said that after he revealed his uality, his parents went crazy with rage. Because of that, Jonghyun has kicked off the house. However, his uncle decided to take Jonghyun into his home.

That was why Jonghyun was in Japan.

According to Jonghyun, his uncle was a good man. But he didn't always stay at home - because of his work.

"But how did he find that out?" Jinki asked. He was a little shocked.

"He received the account of the hospital. He asked who was taking care of me and asked for your number." Jonghyun replied.

"Hm," Jinki grumbled, "You're not feeling any pain?"

Jonghyun denied, "It itches a little, but it's not hurting," he replied to the older man.

"Do you want to change the bandages?"

"Not now," Jonghyun quickly replied. Jinki laughed.

"I know it hurts, but you know this is necessary!" The elder said.

"Okay, dubu," Jinki looked at Jonghyun with a look that, honestly, the younger man found comical.

"Where did that come from?" The question made Jonghyun smile.

"Your cheeks are cute, and your skin is very white! You look like tofu to me," Jonghyun replied cheerfully. The brunette blushed.

"You're very silly, Jonghyun," the older man said, causing Kim to inflate his cheeks. "Are you staying here?" Jinki asked hesitantly.

"I will," Jonghyun replied. "I asked my uncle not to take me to Tokyo again. I want to stay here with you, hyung."

Jinki laughed. A rosy hue tinged his cheeks.

Perhaps, he didn't hate cherry trees so much.

After all, it made him meet Jonghyun. And he was grateful for that.

Now he understood the love people had for trees with pink petals.

 

And it was a good thing.